


The knowable Mystery

by SissorLuv



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam has nosy friends, College, M/M, Ronan is a mystery, Ronan is rude, Ronan meets the College guys, Roomies are afraid, The Gangsey only appears by mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 09:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15192140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SissorLuv/pseuds/SissorLuv
Summary: Adam's Roomie tries to make sense of his flatmate and the weird boyfriend he mentions once in a while. Some might call the trope overused but I say a classic never dies.





	The knowable Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, 
> 
> this is my first Ravenboys-contribution. I really like the idea of Adam having rather normal college-friends and those coming into contact with Henrietta life. Especially from an outsider's POV. It is not as refined as I wanted it to be, but it is a start. You are free to voice criticism ;)

Adam Parrish was unknowable. It was not that he never socialized. Yes, he worked a lot, even though he had earned himself a scholarship, and spend a lot of his time studying, determined to keep the grades that had earned him access to college in the first place. Still he made an effort to take part in group studies and to be vocal in class. Sometimes he went out with other students for lunch (keeping to the cheaper options) or had one or two drinks with them. But he never let lose. While others felt the need to use their college times to gather as much life experience as possible Adam Parrish chased his goals and tried to keep his demons on a leash. He had constructed an invisible wall that allowed others superficial contact but never let them tread beyond shallow water, yet everyone new there was an ocean to be explored if he'd just let them. He contained stories of magic, dead welsh kings, living kings, ghosts, boys that were gods and girls that spoke to trees. Those stories he never told but they shone trough his skin, trough the way he held himself or sometimes seemed not to look [i]trough[/i] things, but [i]beyond[/i] them, as if he could discern who and what they really were, while he remained a mystery. Knowing yet being unknowable. That was his defining quality. There seemed to be nothing that he couldn't dissect and nothing that could penetrate him. 

His roommate Cole was especially intrigued in Adam's interest for plants. Their room had slowly transformed into a little forest. Plants hung from the ceiling, stood in big pots next to Adam's bed or crowded the small windowsill. They guarded the books in the shelves and had even found their way into the bathroom. Cole never understood how exactly Adam managed to keep them all flourishing and growing so fast but he got used to it. Just as he got used to the strange glowing ball that Adam used to light his half of the room with. Cole never found a plug and no battery compartment. And one evening when he came back from a party he could have sworn the thing floated. But then, he was drunk. The next day he had asked Adam about it and he had merely answered: 

“It is a gift from my boyfriend. No one knows how it works.”

“A boyfriend? I didn't know you were...” He touched his neck sheepishly.

“Bisexual? Well, I am but I never thought it necessary to tell. It never came up.”

There it was again. That scrutinizing gaze that told Cole that Adam [i]knew[/i] what he had been thinking, but also that he had been ashamed of his own thoughts immediately. 

“Well… I guess it does not matter who you date. Does he go to college, too?”

Adam laughed at that. 

“Ronan and college would not mix well. He has deep authority issues and wouldn't hold up a week without getting suspended. If he would attend class at all. He lives on a farm actually and dabbles in...inventions”, he explained and gestured vaguely at his strange lamp. When he spoke of Ronan something in his eyes seemed to light up and a very subtle smile tugged at his lips. 

“A farmer and inventor? That sounds… interesting”.

“When people say 'interesting' they usually mean 'weird' or 'shitty”, again [i]that[/i] expression. “But I get that Ronan is rather hard to understand. I guess that is why I never brought him up. He is just a little too much to describe. Just like Blue and Gansey. They are my best friends, back in Henrietta. Currently they travel Venezuela with a friend."

Cole's interest spiked at that. Information about Adam outside of college was sparse and he longed to know more about his sometimes strange room-mate. He couldn't quite place where his fascination with Adam came from. He had only known him for a few weeks and they had needed some time to adjust but he kind of wanted to be friends with him. 

“That means you have a long distance relationship?”

Adam's expression dropped a little. 

“Unfortunately. He was here once, when I got here. You missed him because you arrived a day later. His place is where I go whenever I leave for the weekend."

And that was not that often. 

“Can't he come over? Seems that he is his own boss."

“Farming is hard work and he has to take care of Opal. She is too young to be left alone."

“Opal?”

“His… ward. Kind of. It's complicated. He is an orphan, she is an orphan… they live at the Barns.”  
Adam seemed to struggle to find the right words, which was unusual. Cole wanted to pry further but Adam changed the topic by asking him about the upcoming weekend. 

............................

The next time Cole heard of Ronan was a few days later when he, Adam, and a few others decided to head out. It was unusual for Adam to agree to come along for fun. But Abby and Lynn had convinced him by describing in detail what would happen if he continued to work himself like that. Also it wasn't one of the parties that Adam thought of as a waste of time and money, but a trip to explore the area around their town. Something about that seemed to strike a nerve with Adam and he had told them some stories about him and his friends doing a lot of exploring back in Henrietta. None of them really understood why a bunch of teenagers would voluntary spend that much time hiking, but they didn't dare to ask too much. What they got was that one of Adam's friends was a huge history nerd who liked to hunt down the history of every place he lived in and thought of applying at their college once he finished travelling. He must be very charming, Cole thought, if he got all of his friends into old people activities. 

Once they all got into the car and headed for the road Cole started to fear for his life. So did Abby. Lynn's driving was savage at best. Adam seemed not to care though. When he met Cole's terrified gaze he simply shrugged. 

“Ronan goes at even more speed that this. He used to street race… actually I think he still does it sometimes. But now it is more drifting and racing by himself than competition.”

“Your boyfriend did what?!”

“Street racing. As I said, he is not fond of rules. I have seldom seen him adhere to speed limits. And I dread the day I have to pick him up from jail because he started arguing with a police officer.”

Cole gaped at him, while Abby asked:

“Farming and street racing? How does that go together?”

Adam shrugged. 

“He simply decided not to fit a mold. Honestly it can be a little annoying. Sometimes he keeps being difficult on purpose and when I first met him I wasn't very fond of him… One has to warm up to Ronan but once you do there is no way back.”

“The way you talk about him I wonder if he is real… what else is special about him? What does he look like?”

“Honestly… I don't want to talk about that now.”

“Why?”, Lynn asked.

“Because I already miss him and talking won't make it better.”

And with that Adam Parrish went silent for a while. 

.................................

“What do you guys think of Adam's Mystery-boyfriend?” 

Lynn had come over together with Abby and her boyfriend Christopher. Since Adam was still hung up in the library she seized the opportunity to talk about her favorite subject: The thousand mysteries of Adam Parrish. If Cole was low-key interested in Adam, Lynn had formed some sort of obsession. For a while Cole had thought that she was in love with Adam. By now he was convinced that Lynn was more interested in the (love) life of others because she disliked to concentrate on her own. That was why Ronan was just as much a Person of Interest in her book. 

“What about him”, Christopher asked. 

“I wonder if he is real… like... Adam can be weird sometimes. We don't really know him. Whenever he starts talking about his pre-college-life he stops soon after. So either there is supreme drama involved or he is making things up because it is actually a dead shit boring story. And this Ronan person just seems a little unreal. What have we gathered by now? Farmer. Irish. Catholic. Street Racer. Kind of a Drop out but filthy rich. Wasn't there something about a ward and a raven?”

“And inventions”, Cole offered. 

“That too. There is no one like that. Also there are no pictures. If that was my boyfriend I'd show him off to everybody available. I am a little worried, to be honest. Maybe Adam is lacking some real connection here...”

“You think he wants to be interesting?”

“Maybe...”

“I don't think so”, Cole interrupted. “I mean Adam himself is a little unreal. Like, his capability to know stuff about people goes way beyond simple deduction. Also his way with plants and how he holds himself. Sometimes I think he is beyond human and maybe that's why he is not telling us anything."

That got him a few weird looks. Maybe he shouldn't mention that he once found a Tarot deck on Adam's night stand. When he'd asked him about it Adam had given him a reading so accurate it still rattled him to the bone. 

“Not in the supernatural way, of course… but you now… some people have just more.. charisma? Maybe? And that attracts other people like that. Also I think that Adam has had a rough time back there. Remember his ear? He told me it wasn't an accident but then clammed shut again.”

He felt somewhat bad to mention it but he felt the utter need to defend Adam from the accusation of lying. 

“I don't see how this means he is honest… or maybe these things are related. He went through something bad and tells himself and us another story.”

Before Cole could reprimand her for that a fierce knock interrupted them. They exchanged a glance before Cole got up to open the door.  
And felt the utter need to close it again immediately. The person standing in front of him was deadly intimidating. He seemed to be about his age but was way taller than him. His hair was mostly buzzed off, his upper body clad in a heavy leather jacket. Cole couldn't tell if he was build bulky or if his frame was enhanced by the jacket. He didn't plan on finding out. His legs were long, hugged by rather tight, ripped black jeans that ended in a pair of heavy boots, probably with a steel toe. But that wasn't the worst. There were a great many kids here that tried to rock the bad boy style. But this one – he owned it. It was the strong, heavy set jaw. And the eyes. He avoided the young man's stare and immediately felt like he had failed a test. 

“Where's Parrish?”, the visitor demanded. 

“Who wants to know?”   
Abby had come over and poised herself next to Cole, arms crossed in front of her chest. She had always been the bravest of them. The visitor looked at her. She held his gaze and apparently passed the test. 

“Ronan wants to know”, he mocked her stern tone “I want to pay the asshole a visit before he gets lost in finals forever and doesn't talk to me for days.”

“What. The. Fuck.” That was Lynn. 

“He's in the library. You could call him", Abby said.

“I don't do phones. How long does that fucking library open?” 

He casually leaned against the door frame.   
Abby didn't take her gaze off Ronan. 

“He should come back in an hour or so”, she answered. “It's funny though… we were just discussing whether you exist or not. He mentioned you but he doesn't talk about you or your friends very often.”

“We are a top secret tag team. He'd have to kill you if he did”, Ronan answered in a dead pan tone. Cole wondered how it felt to be told that your boyfriend didn't bother talking about you. 

“Sounded more like you were jail material”, Lynn threw in.

“Aren't all cops?”

He smiled a shark's grin that let Cole swallow. How could Adam associate with someone like that?

“It seems that someone has hurt Adam in the past… was that you?”

Jesus Christ. Abby had guts. Than again – the question was justified and they were four while Ronan was alone. They could subdue him. Maybe. Hopefully. Ballsy girl, really. When Abby's question registered Ronan looked surprised first, then hurt and after that hellishly angry. His voice came out dangerously cold. 

“In fact I nearly had to face court because I fucking punched the guts out of the bastard who did and if you think you have the right to judge me and Adam based on the few glimpses you got of him, you are way more stupid than your Burberry shirt makes you look anyway. It took me ages to understand how Adam works and he is still a puzzle on many occasions. Don't overestimate your pseudo psychology.”

Abby still held his gaze, jaw just as firmly set. When Christopher got up to support her she held up her hand to stop him. Then she extended it to Ronan. He stared at here but eventually shook it.

“Just making sure. You wanna wait for him? There's beer in the fridge if you like, Vivienne Westwood.”

“Vivienne Westwood?”

“Oh, just because you consider yourself punk but are actually filthy rich.”

Ronan scoffed and entered the room.

“And again you know jack shit.”

He went straight to the fridge and grabbed a beer, then had a look around the room that settled on their group of four in the end. 

“I know that the didn't tell you much of Henrietta but I can ensure you that he talked a lot about you. You must be Abby, because he said you bear some resemblance to Blue and I can see what he means.” He then motioned to Cole. “You are his room mate, pleasant guy from what I hear and a little boring from what I see.”  
Ouch. Obviously politeness wasn't his strong suit. He looked at Lynn. “That means you must be Lynn, a little bit too curious for your own good. I have not Idea who you are”, he motioned to Christopher “And not sure I want to.”

“He is my boyfriend”, Abby answered.

“My condolences.”

“He said you can be difficult on purpose.”

Ronan shrugged and took a sip from his can.

“Is it true that you are some kind of farmer", Lynn asked.

She seemed willing to ignore his abhorrent behaviour in favour of gathering information.

“Yeah.”

“You have a ward?”

“Hmm.”

“Street racing? Drop out?”

“Hard childhood.”

“How did you get a ward”, Abby asked “You are too young and with the way you introduced yourself I don't think anybody would -”

He interrupted her.

“Listen, it is none of your business what I do and what Opal has to do with it. If you are all fond of Adam you better learn that there are certain things you'll never understand. That's life, bitches. If my boyfriend Mr. let-me-science-that can understand that, so can you. I don't owe you any answers, neither does he.”

Abby and Lynn looked like they wanted to argue but Cole interrupted them – which was uncharacteristic enough.

“He is right. Some things might be weird about all of that. But if Adam wants to talk about it he eventually will. We've all just started out here. Trust needs time when there's more to your story. And I guess the same goes for Ronan here.”

“Don't psychoanalyze me.”

“I'm not. Let's just call that interrogation a day and watch a movie or something. You can either stay or go, Ronan. But if you stay I'd like to ask you and Abby to keep the snark down, okay? Oh, one last question, though? How long will you stay?”

All eyes were on him now. He hated to be the centre of attention. The others knew that, which was why he was sure that Abby and Lynn would try to do as he asked them. He didn't know about Ronan. Why he had spoken out was a mystery to himself. He just felt that Ronan should stay. 

“I don't know. Depends on how long he'll let me. Not longer than three days, though. I can't leave the barns alone for that long. Before you shit your pants – I rented a room. And I might abduct Adam there.”

“That might be for the best… but you are invited to spend time with all of us, even if we are not your Henrietta-Crew”.

“Whatever”, Abby interrupted “I'll choose a movie now. Either stay or don't.  
”  
“No Rom-com."

“I feel personally attacked by that suggestion. Just shut up and enjoy the show.”

Ronan didn't shut up. Neither did Abby. Yet it seemed they actually enjoyed themselves and the rest of them knew better than to interrupt. 

Ronan and Abby where in the middle of bitching about the plot when the door opened and Adam entered the room. 

“Hey guys, I know I'm late but – Ronan?!”

He flat out dropped his back on the floor and stared at his boyfriend. This time the smile in Ronan's face wasn't that of a shark's. It was genuine, happy, gentle even.

“Surprise, asshole.”

Cole had never seen Adam lose his cool. Even when he was stressed out with all the appointments he had to juggle he always seemed to be in charge of everything. Now it seemd like he would break, the way you break a little inside when you see something so beautiful or awe inspiring that you feel that tuck inside your chest and think you might cry. Adam didn't pay the others any attention but practically threw himself at Ronan who hugged him like his life depended on it. Cole felt like an intruder and looked the other way. They mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like Latin to him. Lynn didn't show the consideration Cole did and openly gaped at them until Abby nudged her in the side. 

“Shall we leave”, she asked. 

Adam untangled himself a little to look at Ronan.

“Please tell me you didn't start a fight with them.”

“You now me I'm-”

“Perfectly fucking civil, yes. That's what I'm worried about.”

“Your little friend accused of me of beating you. I didn't snap. But only because it seemed to be genuine worry. Can I have a treat now?”

Adam turned, still clinging to Ronan. His gaze went straight to Abby, knowing, of course. 

“He would never hurt me!”

“I know that now, too. But I don't think I need to apologize."

“I [i]have[/i] decked quite a few people...”

“Well, your brother sounds like a dick… than again.. so are you.”

Ronan gave her the finger. She did too. 

“Oh god. It's like you and Blue. Kill me, please”.

“Not happening, Parrish. But I would very much like to abduct you elsewhere. Grab a few things and off we are.”

“If you rented some fancy ass hotel...”

Ronan apologetically threw up his hands. 

“No, I did not exaggerate. Promise”

Adam gave him a suspicious look but finally untangled himself from Ronan.

“I guess you have to deal without me tonight”

“And maybe a little longer.”

“Ronan...”

....................................................

The next two days Cole and his group of friends got a full dose of Ronan Lynch. Actually it wasn't that much but it was enough for Cole. Ronan was terrifying. Adam and Ronan spend a lot of time by themselves, but Adam refused to let go of his usual duties and routines which included his college friends. Cole was rather touched even though he couldn't quite let go of his fear of Ronan. He made an effort though. It was worth it. Adam Parrish became somewhat more knowable. He still didn't tell that much about himself and also kept his friends a deeper sort of secret but he allowed glimpses of that other world of his. On part of that, Ronan, was illuminated and yet left a lot in the dark. It made them curious. Adam wove stories of the small town of Henrietta that soon became magical to them all.


End file.
